End of Unit Questionnaires for GEOG21512

2018-19

“I enjoyed the virtual field trip, was different to anything else I have done since being at university”

“I really liked the virtual fieldtrip as we got to remotely engage with different geomorphology and it is really helpful to see things in action. Also, I really liked the experience of GoogleEarth.”

2020-21

“The Virtual fieldtrip worked really well – I really enjoyed this, was different to all other units and a short and snappy way to consolidate knowledge”

Additional emailed feedback (student in 2019-20 cohort)

“I thoroughly enjoyed the GEOG21512 Geomorphology course, especially the virtual field trip using Google Earth Pro. This was an excellent addition to the course allowing us to visualise the geomorphologies we had been studying. This enabled us to gain an appreciation of the scale of the landforms under study without leaving the comfort of our desks. This really aided my understanding of the landforms themselves and the erosional and depositional processes that form them, especially as these features are often so large or hidden, they can not be easily seen in the field. This was further helped by the guided question sheets which focussed our attention on interesting aspects of the landscapes we were looking at. This was very helpful when coming to revise as I had a document of questions and answers surrounding the course material and also a greater understanding of the topic of study itself.

“Using Google Earth Pro was also an excellent introduction to using remote sensing techniques in field work. In fact, this course taught me skills that I used in the data collection for my dissertation. Without this course, I would have struggled to collect data due to COVID restrictions around primary data collection in the field. Furthermore, the methods and ideas introduced in this course surrounding remote sensing have been built upon in the GIS modules of my masters. This virtual fieldwork and the skills obtained from it have put me in good stead for further study.”

GEOG30531 (joint GEGO60531)

Student 1:

“Overall, I think the Google Earth Resource was incredibly beneficial. I was worried about missing the field trip as I thought I would be disadvantaged, but the resource really benefitted me. Firstly the resource was very easy to follow and understand as the activities for the day were labelled on the left and the location of each site on the right. Additionally, each site was accompanied with a range of photographs taken on the day and descriptions of activities so I was able to visualise the day and understand the activities. This was very helpful in the actual coursework too, especially when annotating field sketches and imagining the consolidation of the dunes. I also found the resource useful when understanding how all of the equipment worked because detailed instructions were given alongside photographs. I think this is very important as I would now feel confident carrying out research using such equipment on my own. Personally, I found the photographs most helpful as I could visualise myself at the sites, almost as if I was there!”

Student 2:

“The clear presentation of the minute details of the trip in the order of their occurrence, made the resource a joy to browse for me. Apart from going through the information about each activity on the map I could also browse through geotagged pictures clicked by the onsite team which I felt was fantastic. I really appreciate the level of effort put into making this resource and would like to thank you for enabling this virtual trip for me.”

GEOG20072

The fieldwork component is one part of a wider compulsory course for 2^nd year undergraduate students, and unit feedback was very low.

The positive outcomes were seen in other ways. Around 30% of students used screenshots from the virtual fieldtrip in their project write ups, demonstrating their deep engagement with the materials.